Missing
by Christina TM
Summary: THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER fic. Cody's mother's thoughts while he is missing.


DISCLAIMER: The Rescuers are not mine, and I maketh not a dime off this.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, a fanfic idea can spring up from anywhere! Even while sniffling, sneezing, and watching a film you haven't watched in about eight years. Cody's mother doesn't get much attention, so I'm giving her a little spotlight. These are her thoughts while Cody is ratting out McLeach, rescuing Marahute, and saving the day with our favorite RAS agents.  
  
RATED: G  
  
ARCHIVES: Say vere.  
  
MISSING  
  
8:15 am  
  
I'm making breakfast on Saturday morning. It's after eight, my son Cody should be awake buy now. He's always awake by seven-thirty, eight o'clock at the latest. Well, if he's not up in ten minutes, I'll go get him.  
  
I can hear the door open and then close. Ah, so Cody's up after all! He must be running off on another one of his little escapades. He'll do this every now and then. He'll wake up and run out of the house hoping I won't hear. He's very secretive about all this, he never tells me what he's been doing. I've given up trying to ask him. He always comes home in one piece, so I won't meddle. But I have to be a mom and tell him he's missing breakfast.  
  
"Cody!"  
  
"Yeah, Mom?"  
  
"What about your breakfast?"  
  
"I've got some sandwiches in my pack!"  
  
"Be home for supper."  
  
"No worries, Mom!"  
  
Well, I'll just let him go. I wonder what he does when he goes off like this.  
  
12:30 pm  
  
Cody's been gone an awful long time. What is he doing? I wonder. He's never been out this late before. I certainly hope he's all right. You can get lost in the Outback. Even someone who knows the terrain as well as Cody can get into trouble. If he's not back by two, I'm going to call the Rangers.  
  
2:45 pm  
  
"Cody!" I stand out on the front porch, calling my son's name. "Cody! Cody!"  
  
I run into the house and pick up the phone with a shaking hand. I dial the Rangers. "Yes, hello, my son left this morning and he's not back yet...I can't find him..."  
  
"Calm down, ma'am." The Ranger says to me.  
  
Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down when my little boy is possibly being eaten by crocodiles, or lying in a ditch somewhere? I think.  
  
"Now, where did you last see him?" The Ranger asks me.  
  
"Well, I didn't actually see him." I say. "I heard him leave. I don't know where he went."  
  
"What was he wearing?"  
  
"Did you not hear me just now?" I snap. "I didn't see him. I don't know what he was wearing, or where he went, I just know that he's gone!"  
  
"All right, all right." The Ranger says to me. I hate him for sounding so calm. "Do you have a recent photo of him?"  
  
"Yes." I say.  
  
"Good. We'll send one of our men over to your house to get it."  
  
"How will you find me?" I ask. "I'm not in any neighborhood. I just live in a little shack in Mugwomp Flats."  
  
"Can you tell us a landmark?" The Ranger asks me.  
  
"Um..." I look out the window. "A cliff. I'm right by a large cliff."  
  
"Thank you." The Ranger hangs up.  
  
I take Cody's school photo from last year and have it ready. Oh, Cody, where are you?  
  
5:30 pm  
  
A Ranger knocks on my door. He hands me Cody's backpack. It's tattered and wet.  
  
"It was found in Crocodile Falls." The Ranger says. "We believe he's another victim-"  
  
"No." I cut him off. "Cody's smarter than that. He wouldn't go near Crocodile Falls, that's how his father was killed!"  
  
"Ma'am." The Ranger says gently. "Accidents happen."  
  
I close the door. I can't believe I've lost someone else to crocodile attack. I sit on the couch, bury my face in his backpack and weep.  
  
9:30 pm  
  
It's been four hours since the news and I'm no closer to accepting it. I still feel like he's going to walk in the door any minute and this will all just be some horrible dream.  
  
The door opens. "Mom! Mom!"  
  
Cody? No, it can't be. But it is! "Cody!" I call. "Cody! Cody!" I run out to the door and hug him tighter than I ever have before. "Oh, honey, I thought you had fallen into Crocodile Falls! The Rangers brought your backpack..." I stop. "Was it the wrong backpack?"  
  
"No." Cody says. "McLeach threw it in."  
  
"McLeach?" I gasp. "The poacher? Is that why you left this morning?"  
  
"Well, no, but he kind of became the reason." Cody said. "See, I left to rescue Marahute the great golden eagle. McLeach tried to trap her, but I set her free. Then she knocked me off the cliff she was on and after I fell for awhile she caught me on her back and we flew everywhere! Oh, Mom, it was awesome! Then she put me down and I started to come home, but I saw this little mouse tied to a plant, and when I tried to free him I fell into a poacher's trap. Mom, it was McLeach! And then Bernard and Bianca and Jake- "  
  
"Who?" I ask.  
  
"Bernard and Bianca and Jake." Cody repeats. "They're mice."  
  
"Mice?!" I ask in astonishment.  
  
"Yeah, they're with the Rescue Aid Society." Cody says. "Well, Bernard and Bianca are. Jake's a native. They came along and they helped us get McLeach and..."  
  
Cody continues to prattle on. I'm too grateful that he's here to be wondering exactly what he's talking about. Mice? Marahute? Well, at least he's finally telling me what he does when he takes off like he did this morning. But after today's events, I wonder if I'll ever let him do this again. 


End file.
